OSFC asks all collectors to submit details of pending applications by Jan 20
Bhubaneswar: Expressing dissatisfaction over the slow progress made on disposal of pending applications under the National Food Security Act, the Orissa State Food Commission (OSFC) has asked the collectors to undertake special drives to clear the pending submissions for ration cards.
The Commission had asked the collectors September 16 to submit a detailed report on the applications pending disposal under NFSA by October 21. However, the collectors submitted the reports only a day ago.
“Only two districts (Deogarh and Malkangiri) could maintain zero pendency of such applications. The reported pendency in the whole state is around one lakh which indicates only a marginal improvement as compared to the pendency at the end of June 2017 (1.11 lakhs),” OSFC chairperson Ranglal Jamuda has written to all the collectors.
According to Jamuda, it is a matter of very serious concern that out of the total pendency, nearly 58 per cent (58,424) applications relate to only five districts—Khurda (14,751), Nuapada (14,381), Keonjhar (11,044), Cuttack (10,075) and Puri (8,173).
While examining the reports submitted by the collectors, the Commission has observed that the closing balance in 17 districts has not matched with the opening balance. These are Angul, Bargarh, Bolangir, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Nuapada, Puri, Sambalpur and Sundargarh.
“Evidently, the monitoring mechanism in these districts is not effective. Therefore, the concerned Collectors should take note of such inconsistency while submitting their reports in future,” the Commission stated in its note to the collectors of the above 17 districts, apparently in a warning tone.
The OSFC has also observed that the districts have failed to complete the process of collection of applications from all left-out eligible beneficiaries by December end.
“It would be desirable on your part to make it loud and clear to all the PRI (Panchayati Raj Institutions) members and their counterparts in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) that they are answerable if any household belonging to vulnerable sections of the society is found to have been left out despite this special drive,” read the letter.
Expressing concern over the presence of names of dead persons in the ration cards, Jamuda asked the collectors to exclude such persons from the list by involving the PRI members and officials from ULBs.
Similarly, many beneficiaries not having printed ration cards should be provided the same by vendors appointed by the food supplies and consumer welfare department, the commission has noted.
Stating that this ad-hoc arrangement may enable dealers appointed in fair price shops to misappropriate foodgrains either through manipulation of records or by taking recourse to falsehood, the OSFC chairperson has asked the government to ensure that all the households appearing in the final list are supplied with printed ration cards latest by December 31.
By the end of September 2017, there were 65,079 households appearing in the draft first priority list (FPL) of NFSA.
“All these households have been found eligible to receive rations but they are still in the waiting just because the more educated/cunning households have already obtained ration cards right in the beginning,’’ observed the commission.
Terming the denial of entitlement to the more deserving households “gross injustice”, the Commission has further instructed the government to include all those beneficiaries by excluding at least equal number of ineligible households. The collectors have been asked to submit a detailed report by January 20 next year.
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